Decade of Tears
by Alpha Centauri
Summary: He was supposed to be the unwanted child, banished to the basement till his death. When he sees the outside world for the first time he will wake up to the title, the last of the 10th house.
1. 1st Lengthening Shadows

**A.C.:** Sometimes I begin to wonder why I write things that I write. Then I realize that life has a funny way of inspiring you... of course it could just be that I'm practicing... for something. I'm pretty sure I butchered the characters somewhat... ok... a lot.

–Bows in apology-

You know, I've always wanted to write a fic like this... but we'll see how it goes. I might take it off if it gets too much for me. (Don't I have like... four, five other fics to take care of?)

In this way I realize that I'm not single

I'm f-ing married to my fan fics.

-Groans-

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach –yeah, nothing fancy this time.

**Warnings:** No clue, your definition of warnings largely differs from mine. Read and find out.

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It was dark, damp and cold with the winter at its peak. Where water used to drip down endlessly, icicles formed and pierced the ground. The room looked like an ice room used to preserve meat and other perishable goods during high summer. She looked towards her companions, a blonde one and a black haired one. The black haired girl dropped her head in shame; the blonde looked away in a silent apology. 

As she went further down the tall stair case –taking care not to slip on the ice-, the scent of snow and the familiar tang of drying blood reached her delicate nostrils. Suppressing the urge to run she made it down the stairs at a fast pace, furious at herself for being so soft, so careful when there were greater things at risk. Her attendants followed, hers steps echoed by theirs as she finally reached her destination.

There was not even a door to call it a room she thought bitterly as she pushed away the straw mat covering the entrance. The child inside jerked up, he must have been fighting sleep waiting for her to come. Through the barred window she saw that it was midnight, the moon too high in the air to be seen at that angle. There wasn't enough light for a anyone to cross the room safely without stumbling but her swirling cat like violet eyes told the world of her parentage and of his as he looked up to greet her with similarly shaped eyes.

She let out a small cry, knocking away the bowls littering the floor as she knelt down in front of him. She couldn't even form a coherent sentence as she drew him into her perfumed kimono, stroking his hair gently as he murmured greetings at her throat. Behind her two figures stood, one dark and one light, at a respectful distance away as the woman embraced her son for the first time and the last time in a year. Her touches were like those of a dancing butterfly –_not_, that he knew what that was in the first place- as she checked the skeletal wrist, thin almost girlish fingers and paper-like skin. When she got to the familiar cat-like green eyes, she smothered her sobs in his whispery silver hair.

"Dry your tears haha-ue," the boy spoke softly as he clumsily tried to stem the flow of tears. Tears he knew his constant companion during his imprisonment underground. His mother didn't deserve to be plagued by them as he had. "We only get to see each other once a year; I wish to see you at your best." His voice was high and childish from disuse, as if he had blowing his words through a flute. She pressed her wet cheeks with the back of her hands and smiled tearfully at her son.

"How strong you are," she praised, holding his fragile hands in her elegant fingers. "How strong you've grown." These she kissed and blew her breath softly upon them while the boy watched in mild curiosity. She pressed them to her breast, transferring warmth.

"Haha-ue should be stronger," the boy smiled warmly. "It is far too cold of a night for you to be down here, you should return to the house." At this she only wept freely as she undid the haori around her shoulders to cover her child with it. The child accepted the cloth calmly, luxuriating the fading heat as the two other women came to escort his mother up the stairs. "Goodnight haha-ue." They would see each other again and for a moment the green eyed child wanted to say '_goodbye_' though he didn't know why he would feel that. The woman looked back at her son; fondness, love and warmth conveyed through just one teary glance.

"Goodnight my son."

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Rukia returned alone to find the boy looking out the barred window. There was a steady stream of tears down his bony cheeks. At her entrance, he started but settled down when Rukia pressed his face against the groove of her shoulder.

"You just told your mother to be strong you idiot, you shouldn't be crying either."

"You won't tell her will you?" Rukia shook her head.

Honestly, what was it with men and their pride?

"It's your birthday, can I get you anything? Winter Solstice is tomorrow and a party is to be held in thirteenth house's honor, there should be more than enough food to go around."

"The thirteenth house...?" Rukia paused, wondering how much of it was allowed for her to tell her. Finally she brushed the stubborn bang away with her hand noting with relief that no new tears were pouring from his eyes.

"The head has been replaced... one of Shiba clan's closest friends I believe. It is not a good time for the Shiba clan this year." Hitsugaya nodded absentmindedly at her answer, fingers brushing against the silken fabric of the pale blue haori.

"Will Hinamori be there?" Rukia nodded; Hitsugaya had grown attached to the brown girl as some sort of a surrogate sister since she had been placed to attend to him long ago. Now she was gone and was like one of them, dark-eyed like her sire. "Something warm? No more chicken blood." He nudged the empty bowl with his feet.

"It will upset your stomach since you're not used to it." He shrugged and Rukia smiled. "idiot."

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"Ran-chan's filled me in on the details but eh... ya got me in a pickle here that ya do." Remarked the man lazily as they walked across the snowy paths of the Hitsugaya compound. The woman stared ruefully at the frozen gardens, wishing that her son could be out here walking with her. The chilly breeze wove through her clothing but she did not feel it for nothing could be as cold and as desolate as her heart felt.

"Ichimaru-dono, the child has to live."

Ichimaru caught a twig in one hand, twirled it around his fingers and looked at it before letting it go in the wind. The twig bounced, once or twice on the ground and rolled, coming to a stop by the laughing Buddha statue. Servants scurried about, watchful of the horizon and the coming sun. This, the two did not have to worry about; they were far too old to be brought down to their knees by the sun. Just a little act or two so that the humans would leave them alone.

"Even though he's a progeny of the Hitsugaya clan...?" Ichimaru replied finally as he gazed calculatingly at the woman, watching the vein on her neck pulse in cadence with her heartbeat. She turned, few stray locks of graying black hair falling in her blue-violet eyes.

"He's an innocent, I wish for him to see the world."

Ichimaru shrugged, accepting the reply for what it was.

"We will attack at the Dongzi celebration**(1)** tomorrow, our men are eager and ya might not survive..." he trailed off carefully looking for any reaction that might give away the woman's position. There was nothing, just determination and something else he couldn't quite discern. Love perhaps, for the word was as foreign to him as the starry skies above them.

"It does not matter, there is no place out there for the second wife of the Hitsugaya clan." The darkness was fading, the footsteps of others faster. The light swallowed the stars and soon they could see the faint lavender behind the mountains that bordered the 10th house. "Ichimaru-dono, I wish for my house to be restored to its former glory. I wish for my husband's death to be avenged."

"...Ya sure _Miya_?"

"Yes..." she took a deep breath. "I am sure."

"So be it then."

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**(1) Dongzi Celebration-** literally a Winter Solstice celebration

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**A.C.:** So how was it? As always, read and review x3 


	2. 2nd Walk Through the Dark

**A.C.:** Sometimes you just look at people and wonder what they're thinking. Sometimes you realize that you both love and hate that person at the same time and know that it'll drive you insane someday. Sometimes I mix about as well with other people as oil does with water.

It's Friday the 13th! xD

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach --yeah, nothing fancy this time.

**Pairings:** none as of now (if anyone has suggestions for pairings, they're welcome to share)

**Warnings:** No clue, your definition of warnings largely differs from mine. Read and find out.

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**Angelic Lily:** Yes this is an AU :)

**Windlily:** Thanks x3

**SilverWhiteDragon:** Heh, like I told you before I'm not sure about the pairing... Plot? What plot?

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The attack had been swift and unexpected. No one could have said why or how it had been triggered, only the news written in blood for all to see under the still-bright sun. Hail, the thirteenth house had fallen. Shiba clan in shambles in grief for the son lost, a husband lost, a friend lost, a brother lost. And yet still the world went on totting forward on its lumbering feet. People just stood up to gather the broken pieces in their bleeding fingers as they tried to go along for the ride. 

It was about as close as Byakuya could get to slamming doors and shouting. The Kuchiki head looked down on his son pityingly as the young man heatedly listed the culprits and how they should right the wrong that had befallen on their associates. The yellow and orange flames ate up the curling white wick on the table as the moon waned in the sanguinary twilight. At last when the candle melted down to nothing, it seemed as though the Kuchiki heir had finally wearied of his tirade.

"They took her, there was no reason for that but they took her."

The young man's shoulder shook through the thick layers of silk as the candle finally burned out with a small sigh, leaving them both in the obscure light of the moon.

"You are not thinking straight my son. Just as you were enamored with that girl," there, the head gave a small glare to quell the rebellious look in his son's eyes. "You are enamored with your friend." When it was clear that the night-haired scion of Kuchiki clan would not speak up again he continued, "Shiba clan can offer nothing to us of any worth, the only reason they had held the house for so long is because of that outlandish young boy. You must think of the clan my son. To attack the Hitsugaya clan right now would prove disastrous."

"Shiba Kaien did nothing." Byakuya hissed slowly, "Nothing that warranted such atrocity upon him."

"He was foolish," the head corrected dismissively, "And now his dead." He gave his son a sympathetic look. "Hitsugaya clan has killed less for such foolishness, they will not hesitate to turn upon us should we appear weak at this point in time."

The infamous Hitsugaya clan, well know for their usages of high-magic rather than swordsmanship. Their past had always been a bloody one with survivors claiming of snow-fair demons with heart of ice. The royal family at court rarely interfered with the matters between the thirteen houses and there was not a clan in the remaining twelve that wished to challenge them. Not even the head of first house, Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni had much of a way to dissuade them from their blood-filled conquests. Even the eleventh house, boasting the best warriors of the nation, avoided accosting the tenth.

Byakuya lowered his head in defeat. The Kuchiki clan head got up with grace belying strength even at his advanced age. He walked past his heir, closing the window now that the sun was progressively creeping over the summer-green horizon.

"Do not dishonor our name my son." Byakuya got up bowing as he took his fathers words as a dismissal. The elder gave his offspring a thin smile, "Should you acquire Senbonzakura, this house will belong to you."

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"If only you had been born a girl..." Matsumoto mused quietly as the boy eagerly drank the blood offered. The rosy glow returned to the bony cheeks though it wasn't as vibrant shade as she would have liked. He silently held the bowl out for more and Rukia obligingly poured more of the precious liquid into the red-stained porcelain. They took care to be as silent as the boy fed, keeping their ears sharp on the look out for any foreign footsteps. Should they be caught even talking to amongst themselves, they would be sent away and the hidden child of the tenth house would be alone once more.

Matsumoto snapped her fingers, startling the pale haired boy into almost spilling blood all over his lap. Grinning as the catty green eyes glared at her, the blonde turned excitedly towards the bemused looking girl.

"Rukia-chan, do you have any spare kimono?"

"Yes," she replied slightly surprised, "I have one I've been saving for the Dongzi celebration though if you need it..." she trailed off and Rangiku waved her hand in dismissal. She knew how much Rukia looked forward to meeting her brother; it wouldn't do for the girl to be in anything but her best.

"I meant one of your everyday ones, I'd use mine but Shiro-chan wouldn't fit in it." The buxom blonde looked amusedly at the green-eyed boy as the glare intensified. 'Shiro-chan' had been the name they had given him after finding out that he was not to be named. They couldn't call him 'boy' or 'child' all the time so they had given him a nickname based on his snowy hair color.

'Shiro-chan' hated it though he had grudgingly accepted when Rukia had kindly pointed out to him that it was either 'Shiro-chan' or 'Midori-chan'.

Rukia's eyes widened in realization. The white-haired boy simply rolled his eyes and continued lapping at the bowl of blood with obvious gratification.

"You mean you're going to disguise him as a girl?!"

The youngest of the trio immediately spat out the blood in his mouth at this announcement. The eldest nodded vigorously as the middle one held her sides to prevent herself from laughing out loud.

"You get that kimono Rukia-chan and I'll get my makeup box." There was a squeaking protest from the corner of the room. "Hitsugaya clan will not allow another boy on their grounds but if he is a girl... it will work"

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"So cruel," Ichimaru Gin commended as he caught sight of Byakuya performing a series of katas. "Senbonzakura demands blood..." The steely eyed head turned to face the thin man, sheathing his katana as a servant stepped forward offering a towel.

"Ichimaru, should you not be getting ready?"

The silver haired man shrugged,

"The men are in their places. The Hitsugaya clan ain't gonna set out till dark." Byakuya nodded intent on finding Renji for a complete status report as going over strategies had never been Ichimaru's forte. "Ehh one more thing," Byakuya looked coldly at Gin,

"What. Is. It." His tone was clipped, barely controlling the rage that had been simmering below the surface for over a decade. There wouldn't be such an opportunity in a long time. He had just barely negotiated their decision with the current thirteenth house head and Byakuya would not be deterred from this point for anything in the world. Feeling as if years of careful planning were crumbling away under his feet, Byakuya stepped forward warningly as Gin took a step back. Gin shivered and scratched his head,

"Maa, maa... calm down. Miya-chan just requested that Rukia be spared from this slaughter," Byakuya's stance deflated.

"Is that all?" of course that wasn't all of it, there was always a catch when dealing with the fox-faced head of the third house. When Gin looked innocently back at him Byakuya decided that the next time he was about to eradicate an entire clan, he would never include the man in it no matter how useful he was.

"Ahe... weeeelll..."

Because at that point, it just seemed more sensible to work with the eleventh house's pink-haired heiress.

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The second wife of the Hitsugaya clan looked happier than she had been in years as she held tight to the thin fingers as they walked across the sunlit gardens of the tenth house. Both Miyako and Rangiku could manage well under the solar rays due to their age and even Rukia had gotten the hang of it as they stepped over the freshly layered snow. But 'Shiro-chan' was young, too young to even possess an inkling of resistance to the sun's rays and had to be constantly shielded at all times. It meant one of them holding a parasol –as his arms were too weak to hold anything for long- but it also meant that they were the only ones out at this time of the day. Even if there had been someone out, no one would have taken the skinny child in black and silver kimono –it was one of Rukia's better uniforms- as the hidden child of the Hitsugaya clan.

Shiro-chan's hair had been brushed back until it was glossy like flowing silver. The boy's hair had never been properly cut so Rangiku had to trim his hair to a waist length before braiding it with a simple ornament at the top. His clear complexion hadn't warranted any makeup but even after his feeding –it was the blood of a 'feeder' Rangiku had collected in a sake bottle- color had refused to stay on his face so they had to apply some rouge lest the boy looked like an ethereal apparition. They had painted his nails a soft coral pink and his lips –much to his protest- in a pouty shape and determined him a 'pretty' girl before ushering him into Rukia's spare kimono.

Now he looked just like any other fledgling, his eyes wide as he drank in the sight of the world around him. He had never been out in the snow but had felt its chilly presence through the damp walls. Seeing the footprints appear behind them, he turned around in puzzlement as his mother explained things out to him with inestimable patience belonging to a 'mother'.

He was soon tired his legs aching with sudden exercise. But he had no desire to go back to his confinements so he sat in the snow by his mother's feet and grabbed a handful of snow, watching curiously as the clumps of white fell from his hands onto the ground.

He had read about the outside once, twice, as long as the light had allowed him and Rangiku had snuck the books in (apparently no one thought to have her boobs checked...). But to actually see it, to experience it, was an exhilarating experience he knew he could not give up. Never again could he go quietly back to his room under the basement of the slumbering house. Even if his 'father' was to kill him he wanted to die outside knowing that the sky was blue and the sun was brighter than the moon.

He told his mother so and both she and Rangiku exchanged sad looks.

"Then you shall not go back my love."

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The sun began to dip towards the mountains in the west. Gin's almost-florescent eyes lit up gleefully as Byakuya gave orders to move. Zaraki, a semi-friend of Gin's and the best fighter the eleventh house had to offer, grinned wildly as his rough skin took on a bloody glow.

"Let it begin."

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Miyako quickly led her son and Rukia towards the room she knew no one would even think of when searching for them. In the northern most boundaries of the tenth house was a shrine in which the spirit of the tenth house was said to slumber. She knew that if there was any safe place left in the place she had never learned to call home it would be there. Performing a minor spell to shatter the binding spell held over the doors, she went in and was shocked at the waves of energy emitting from the ancient earth.

"Miyako-san," Rukia broke out as soon as she caught her breath, "what...?" the violet eyed woman hushed the girl with a smooth movement of her hand,

"Shh Rukia. Do you mind waiting outside for a moment?" At the black-haired girl's nod, the woman carried the frail child into the room almost as if offering her flesh and blood to the deep abyss of the temple. "Do not worry, I will not be long."

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Matsumoto Rangiku jumped through the grounds of the tenth house grounds as the scarlet disk sank ever so deeper between the two mountains framing the western sky. All those who saw her were quickly silenced, those who couldn't be silenced due to the fear of being noticed she let go with an excuse that one of Hitsugaya clan had called for her services. By the time she had reached her best friend, her sleeves were dripping with blood and her sword had not even been touched yet.

Gin smirked and gave her a slight wave. Relieved that they had not been found out, she went to join the silver haired man as the men below them scattered like cherry blossoms into the shadows cast by the vast compound.

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"How's Miya?"

"Miyako took Shiro-chan and Rukia towards the northern shrine. They should be near if not there right now." Gin nodded as if taking note of it and turned to three men that seemed to have appeared out of thin air.

"Ya heard her, keep clear of the tenth's shrine." He laughed softly to himself before adding, "Ain't gonna matter much though, heard the tenth spirit is a big one."

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Miyako came out of the shrine –Shiro-chan nowhere in sight- and Rukia immediately noticed the spots of blood decorating the nape of her neck. The ebon haired woman smiled shakily as she beckoned her close, giving her a warm hug before looking her over.

"I am sorry Rukia-chan; I should have at least made you go with her when you had the chance."

Rukia shook her head,

"It's alright Miyako-san but... why are we here?" Rukia's dark eyes were troubled as she looked around, "were we not supposed to participate in the Dongnzi celebration at the thirteenth house?" Miyako's smile turned into a sad one and Rukia immediately regretted her words.

"Both you and he will participate... I will not."

"Miyako-san?"

"I thought you'd be here Miyako."

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The current heir –should the house magic accept him, Byakuya reminded himself- had the fair countenance of the Hitsugaya clan but none of its strength. The boy's hazel eyes –from his mother, Byakuya was informed- were impossibly weak set upon the rounded face framed by snowy hair. White lashes fluttered with fear as the Kuchiki head stared down speculatively. Disgusted at the weakness he saw in the brown-eyed boy, Byakuya turned the blood-splashed blade of Senbonzakura away from the narrow neck and exited the room.

"Finish him Renji; I will not dishonor my sword by spilling that _boy__'s_ blood."

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Miyako immediately pushed the girl into the dark insides of the temple and resealed the door. Then she turned to her 'husband', every bit as proud and defiant as the day he had captured her and forced her to bear the derogatory title of a second wife.

The Hitsugaya head looked furious, his hair lit like dancing flames in the dying sun. He was the greatest warrior of his generation but she did not feel an ounce of fear in her body, not while she had her loved ones to protect. The head stepped forward, his face contorted in a mask of anger and hatred as he held his sword out aimed at Miyako's breast.

"Hyourinmaru has left you as he not?"

"He certainly has not!" the Hitsugaya patriarch denied vehemently as his neck bulged. He no longer looked like the pale ghost described by towns people. He looked like a being made of fire, a demon, an antithesis to the spirit of the tenth house. "But you my wife... you certainly will... oh yes..." snarling, he swung his arm and struck at her neck or where it should have been had she not moved to appear in front of him. She granted him a bitter smile before exploding a small ball of energy in his face.

The man was blown clear off the steps of the shrine and into the snow. She looked down on him unperturbedly as he brushed the frost off of his charred face. He gashed his teeth and seemed to come to his senses. He was no longer war-like in his anger directed at his disobedient wife. Instead, he almost seemed collected and cool. Like a sheet of ice waiting for a boat to fall inevitably into its traps and drown.

"What have you done woman?"

Her expression turned triumphant as she lowered her lids in false submission when he got up to his feet.

"Nothing you wouldn't have done, to ensure the house magic stayed within your clan."

The man phased in front of her, the metal blade against her neck and drawing blood.

"You stole my... our house."

"It was never yours to begin with." The last word was a hiss as the blade dug deeper into the pale column of her neck. Her violet-blue eyes turned vicious as he lowered his sword, "You stole my husband, my family, my son!"

Hitsugaya cocked his head,

"Foolish woman, I shall procure our 'mistake' and take back what is rightfully mine."

With a shrill cry, Miyako threw herself at the man and swiped at his burnt face with her nails. Surprised by the attack Hitsugaya barely had the time to defend himself from rolling off the platform.

"It was never yours to begin with! I swear it; your line will end with you! I...!" the blade dug deep into her stomach though not deep enough to run her through. But she knew that the wound was fatal unless some skill healer was quickly summoned. The Hitsugaya head pulled out his sword in a gush of new blood and old accumulated through her years. Miyako hissed as her eyes rolled back, revealing milky whites as he laid the bloodied sword flat against her shoulder.

"And our 'son'? Will he die too?"

The first and the last time he used the word 'son' for the unwanted child.

Miyako wanted to laugh and she did when Hitsugaya kneeled before her, the tip of a katana visible as a small speck of silver in the middle of his chest.

"Dear husband..."

The first and the last time she would call the heinous beast her husband.

"There are too many things you do not know." The man turned to dust, Senbonzakura singing in the remains of his blood. Miyako smiled dazzlingly at the newcomers, the black haired young man in particular as he stared down at her with impassive eyes.

"Kuchiki-dono," she gave a polite bow in turn as she recognized the all-too familiar faces from other houses. "Abarai-san, Ichimaru-dono, Matsumoto-san," there she gave the blonde a kind look, "Zaraki-san what a pleasant surprise." The spiky-haired man gave a non-committal grunt of recognition as a stream of blood began to flow from her lips. She faced Byakuya, giving him the deepest bow she could manage with a gaping hole in her stomach.

"Miyako..." something flickered through her cat-like eyes as she met his steel-gray ones.

"Finish me Lord Kuchiki. Spill my blood and cleanse the others of the pain I've inflicted upon you. With my blood, save my children and rid them the crimes of this accursed clan. Let me join my husband under the starry skies for while my body remains here, my soul has long since flown."

Rangiku looked horrified and Gin had to place a hand on her shoulders to prevent her from interfering. Renji had taken on a stony look, unable to face death in the face and equally unable to look away.

"Well sung." Byakuya praised.

The dying woman beamed.

The next moment she was nothing more than a handful of ashes carried away by the wind.

Everyone's expression was grim –except Ichimaru's- as they turned towards the locked doors that housed the tenth spirit.

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The door was enforced with metal and stone, engineered with more care than of even the main gates of the tenth house. Surprisingly the lock gave away with little resistance, further proving their suspicions about the presence of the tenth spirit. The last of the sun flooded the room though they had all taken care not to let the light touch its valuable contents. Gin sniggered flagrantly as he followed Byakuya inside. The room was ancient, brimming with unperceived power as they stepped forward onto the mahogany floor. Their footsteps –though they had not made a single sound- resonated through out the room like a brass gong announcing their entrance.

In the room two pairs of eyes turned towards them. One a weary pale but strong and the other determined but afraid. With a small gasp, the bigger of the two spun around on their knees and bowed.

"Nii-sama."

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**A.C.:** I should probably explain the house thing before it gets anymore confusing. 

There are thirteen houses revolving around court.

The thirteen houses supposedly hold 'magic' that holds the house together. No spirit in the house inevitably equals the destruction of it. Should the house spirit exit the house not of its will, the physical manifestations will collapse and wither away until the bearer returns. The house spirit will also choose the heir to inherit it. So if the child of the current head is not to its satisfaction, the 'house' will search for another more worthy one but it's usually passed through the generations (which allows the clan system to be formed).

Though rare, the houses do have skirmishes every now and then (usually between 'x'th house and the 11th) and it seems as though the 13th house was one of the more unfortunate ones. And because blood-linage is not a requirement during inheritance, the Hitsugaya clan got away with a little more than a slap on the wrist. But the house spirits exist for the unity of the thirteen houses and the tenth spirit is less than pleased with the current events.

I hope that explained... something

If you see more mistakes than usual in terms of grammar and such... it's because it's 3am wherever I am.


	3. 3rd Hand in Hand

**A.C.:** Nationalism is fun –yay

Right, I'm supposed to be writing other things.

Well... half of this was already written so... -cough-

Ehh enjoy

**Disclaimer:** Now, if I'm still writing this, what does that tell you about its ownership?

**Pairings:** none as of now (if anyone has suggestions for pairings, they're welcome to share)

**Warnings:** No clue, your definition of warnings largely differs from mine. Read and find out.

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**SilverWhiteDragon**- o.0 don't die... or something –pats your back-

**Phppsmss**- glad you thought so xD unfortunately I'm one of the laziest people I know soo... uhh hold the thought on the updates -runs-

**Windlily**- xP Hitsu-torture probably -coughs-

**Angelic Lily**- x3 thank you

**Feyla**- it's probably the grammar. I'm horrible with grammar, never mind that I have to take an exam on the said grammar. –Throws things at grammar- -gets things thrown back-

**Flyingphilosopher**- thanks ㅅㅅ

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"Gin? Kira? What's wrong?" 

The two men turned to face the groggy blonde as she rubbed her eyes with her palm. Kira ducked his head blushing as she carelessly pushed her breasts back into the loose top of her kimono. She yawned loudly –rather like a cat- but sobered once she saw their expressions.

Kira's face was pinched, as if he had been going for days without rest. His eyes were raw and agitated –positively rolling in their sockets- suggesting urgent news for the third house. He looked tired and grieved; even Ichimaru's trademark smile looked subdued.

Matsumoto Rangiku looked back and forth between the two. Kira's cat-like blue eyes lowered in deference at the elder –though she'd kill anyone saying that aloud- vampire as he repeated the news he had been relaying to Gin just moments before.

"The thirteenth house is no more, Shiba Kaien is dead." Matsumoto's gray-flecked blue eyes widened. "The attackers were of the Hitsugaya clan, the charges are currently unknown. Matsumoto-san," Kira hesitated but continued on at Gin's –who probably didn't want to be on the receiving end of her wrath- insistence. "Shiba Miyako is said to have been taken." At Matsumoto's shocked face Kira added guiltily, "I am sorry."

There were sudden, heavy footfalls as a man ran up to the three, bowing at a ninety degree angle.

"Nakamura Noboru reporting! Urgent news Lord Ichimaru, Captain Matsumoto, Captain Izuru; Hitsugaya clan has declared the slaying of Lord Shiba an accident," Rangiku let out a derisive snort, "...and has taken in Miyako-sama as a show of their good will..." this time Rangiku found that she could not restrain herself.

"What!?"

"News!"

"Eeek..." Gin snickered as their heads turned, "Oh dear..."

Another man came darting up. He was smaller than the first, a boy really, but he had the quick, eager-to-please look about him and his eyes were bright like glittering stones. "Himura Takeru reporting. The thirteenth spirit has chosen its next bearer. The new head of the thirteenth is to be Lord Ukitake Jyuushiro."

"But..."

Matsumoto's lips parted in surprise,

Kira looked taken aback,

Gin continued smiling.

Ukitake Jyuushiro, former wielder of the thirteenth spirit before his protégé succeeded him. The former head usually resided within the thirteenth house or otherwise abed in the fourth whenever his ailing body allowed him to. Though he had been powerful as a head, he had gratefully passed the title on to Shiba Kaien when the man had proven himself worthy in the thirteenth spirit's eyes. With the dark haired lord's ascension, the weakened Shiba clan had seemed to be making a comeback.

It was unheard of for a spirit to reclaim its former user. Not that –the blonde reminded herself- it was common for the user to be left alive when the spirit was passed on. And in the light of the current events Matsumoto Rangiku couldn't help but feel that the world was that much safer with a powerful lord like Ukitake as a head of a house. But she immediately grimaced at the implication of those thoughts. The court would hardly allow the Shiba clan to occupy the boundaries of the thirteen houses now that its ruling head was gone. She felt her heart ache at the thought of the younger Shibas, Kukaku and Ganju, part from their home so soon after loosing their honored brother.

"Ukitake hmm...?"

"We need to sort this out." She said briskly, brushing herself past the two messengers. "This is ridiculous; Kaien would have never done anything to provoke them."

Startled, Kira looked from the head of the third house and back at the buxom blonde who was yelling at servants to ready her horse.

"Wait Ran-chan." She turned around. All sign of amusement, at least from what Matsumoto could read from his face –It turned out that Gin's face was built in a way almost impossible for him to frown other than with his eyebrows-, was gone. "If Hitsugaya clan's gonna go through with the tresspassin' charge, there ain't gonna be much the Shiba clan can do to counter it."

"That's no excuse for killing a house head that is no excuse for kidnapping another's wife." There was something animalistic about the way she had said it, something that thrilled him and desperately pleaded with the silver haired man to push further. But he knew this was no laughing matter. It rarely was when the tenth house was involved. Even Gin detested the thought of meeting the current rulers, the Hitsugaya clan, because Izuru would never try to deal with them whenever they came over for a spat or two about boundaries.

It was always about boundaries.

"Matsumoto-san, if you go against them..."

"...They'll kill ya too."

-

-

Against all odds, the blonde captain of the third's guards had managed to convince the fox-faced house head and the demure second captain to let her enter the tenth house as a servant-guard. Though she had made many mishaps along the way –such as addressing Miyako by her first name- she managed to hold a rank high enough to server her once best friend.

It was roughly ten months after the slaying of the Shiba lord.

Just a day or two before the winter solstice celebration Miyako was hidden away into a room seeming to be very much in pain. Matsumoto hadn't known then but Miyako had been hiding a secret, a secret the former lady of the thirteenth house would have eagerly taken to her grave. Assisted by a handful of servants, the adopted sister of Kuchiki Byakuya and herself, Shiba Miyako... Hitsugaya Miyako had gone into labor.

She had hidden it from the public's eye due to it being her first pregnancy. Likewise, not even the Hitsugaya lord had known before he had been pulled away from overseeing slaughter work.

After a strenuous labor a child had been born in the morning of Midwinter's eve.

Many a servants had fled from the coming sun, even the eldest of them all had prayed for deliverance as the child had come forth into the world. It was a boy, his head as snowy-fair as any Hitsugaya born before him. Yet there was another legend to this birth that no one, not even the young Kuchiki girl, could ignore as the midwife handed the quiet child to the white haired lord.

The sun peered through the cracks of the doors and the windows, Miyako wincing as the light hit her tender skin. She had reached out longingly for her son then, her eyes filled with love and despair at the small fisted hand and the wisps of blood crusted hair.

"No one is to know of this." The Hitsugaya lord said before handing the firstborn back into the midwife's arms. "The first lady must never be told." He opened the door slowly, considerate enough to let them withdraw into darkness before leaving. "Be glad I let him live at all."

-

-

She had never seen the boy afterwards, so focused on getting her friend back onto her feet. But in the summer months, sharing a cup of sake or two with the tenth house captains, she had learned of a recurring rumor about a wailing that would not go away. The house site was said to be haunted, the tenth spirit angry with all the blood that had been soaked into the earth. At those moments Rangiku had smiled tenderly, wishing viciously that the rumor was true and that the tenth house spirit would rise to wreak vengeance upon the Hitsugaya clan.

She had not known if the boy had lived or died until a girl named Hinamori Momo had been sent away to the fifth house and her friend, Kuchiki Rukia had come to summon her. She was given a brass key into the basements of a storage room. Rukia was too young to be given such responsibilities but the white haired lord had supposed Matsumoto would be wise enough to keep her tongue.

Miyako had already known about it, giving her a vial of fresh blood to offer to her only son as she made her way across the courtyard.

"They let me see him once a year. They don't even let me touch him... they just keep him there no better than a dog and feed him once a day." the look that crossed the woman's face was bitter than sudden gale that blew past them. "I don't think he remembers me at all."

Matsumoto hugged her, promptly burying the older woman's face into her enormous cleavage.

"Don't worry Miyako-chan, I'll take good care of him." she hid the bottle of blood between her breasts and winked, "I promise."

-

-

"Where's Hinamori?"

It was the first thing, the only thing he had said when she had come into the basement room.

"Where is she?"

Oh wait, one of two things.

His voice was high too high even for one his age. He frowned at her, not really understanding what the bright haired woman was doing in his 'room' cleaning up the bowls of dried blood and clearing a place for her to sit down on. The room felt warmer now that she was in there with him, the boy relaxed about an inch.

"Here." Matsumoto handed the blood –still warm- to the nameless boy. The boy accepted it but did not drink it as he asked insistently for the whereabouts of his friend. The blonde pondered the best way of answering the question as she produced a bottle of sake in her hand.

Right, she was supposed to be taking _**good**_ care of him. Perhaps he would be inclined to drink more if she was doing the same.

"Where is she?"

"If you be a good little boy and drink all the blood inside the bottle, maybe I'll tell you."

The boy scowled.

"How do I know you're not lying?" The words were alright but the enunciation was all wrong. It was as if he was from another country altogether judging from his odd accent and intonations.

Rangiku peered curiously at the boy. He seemed normal; a little thin, his hair a shade too white, his eyes pale from the lack of sunlight and exercise. No one would have guessed at first glance that this was the hidden heir to the tenth house. She wondered if there were more than a half a dozen people aware of his existence.

She stroked his hair and he leaned into her touch despite himself, his body craving the familiar contact and warmth of another. He swiftly pulled himself away shaking; his face tinged a pale pink from embarrassment.

"Because you can trust me... Shiro-_chan_."

The boy scowled harder but the look softened once he began to lick at the store of blood in his hands.

"Yeah... I think I can trust you."

-

-

Kuchiki Rukia had soon joined watch of the banished child. They had nicknamed him 'Shiro-chan' because of his white hair and because they lacked a name to go by when calling for him. Miyako was only allowed to visit once a year, on the eve of the winter solstice, but made the two women swear to do what they could in their powers to protect them. Rukia had never realized the extent of the ebon-haired lady's fervor, only thought that a mother's love transcended how ugly reality truly was. But Rangiku knew and wondered...

She wondered if the lord knew.

Then the news came through a visiting Kira about the Kuchiki clan's wrath.

-

-

The child's whole demeanor changed when he was forcefully pulled onto his feet. He let out a gasp, not out of pain or fear but of the sheer sensation of being touched. His cheeks were flushed, the crimson glow growing past the nape of his neck as it wound past his spine. He whimpered quietly when Byakuya put pressure on his hold, slightly squirming as to get away.

"Nii-sama!"

The child was thin; his face narrow and angled with hunger. The Kuchiki lord could have easily broken the bones of his arm without as much as a twitch of his finger. The shaky legs folded underneath the non-existent weight but the boy held on, dropping his head only when it became too much for his thin neck to hold it upward.

Byakuya was inwardly impressed. The child was a contrast to its brother seemingly a lifetime ago. If he had been Hitsugaya, surely he would have chosen this one as the heir to carry on the linage.

But why had the child been hidden all these years?

"What's your name child?"

"Hitsugaya... Toushiro..."

Byakuya's eyes narrowed,

"I see."

Byakuya made a small vertical incision down the throbbing wrist. The skin gave away with the tenuity of a papyrus scroll. The blood gushed out of the ruptured vein in regular spurts, quickly overflowing down the thin fingers onto the floor.

The room's atmosphere changed immediately as the metallic tang hit the air. Zaraki fidgeted before exiting loudly exclaiming that he was bored. Gin's smile widened and Matsumoto looked on in slight disapproval at the manhandling of the child. Renji looked edgy and Rukia was busy staring at the ruby droplets as they fell and splattered across the floor. Even a few men poked their head inside the temple doors when they picked up the bloody scent (though Gin immediately chased them out with his freaky not-smile). Deciding that it was unseemly for them to act like sharks to a drop of blood, Byakuya gently pulled the boy toward the third's head and turned his face away towards the empty shrine that should have housed the tenth spirit.

Rangiku received the boy and carried him in her arms despite his protests. Rukia murmured a brief 'nii-sama' –earning a rare smile from the lord- and scurried to the blonde's side.

"Yer orders 'Kuya?"

Byakuya threw Gin a disgusted look at the derogatory nickname.

"Take him to the thirteenth house," the night-haired lord mentally probed for the signs of the spirit that should have been there. "We will decide what to do with him there." Gin nodded. It would not be a group decision but one made solely by the lord of the sixth house; depending on the level of blood lust when they all gathered at the thirteenth house.

The three –four counting the last Hitsugaya- turned and exited the temple.

Byakuya stayed, eyes weary with the weight of vengeance crushing his shoulders.

Before he too leaves, he tasted his blood stained fingers.

It tasted like the sun.

Byakuya's eyes glowed violet.

It was an odd feeling.

-

-

The horses cantered down the dirt-packed road.

Toushiro had never seen a horse before and was fascinated with the proud arching necks and the bristles of half-standing mane. With a timid hand, he reached out and touched the velvety coat; running his hands up and down far as he could. The horse checked its speed and looked back curiously. Children were rarity within the great houses; it had never felt such a light hand upon its back.

Rangiku looked on fondly as she followed with a prancing chestnut.

Rukia was close behind with a stoic gray.

As Matsumoto had remarked earlier, if they were going to steal horses, they might as well claim the best ones.

The green-eyed heir was still feverish and red. This caused some concern in his elders as a blanket of indigo stretched over the sky.

Ichimaru noted that the whitish skin quickly lost the boiled look, the body cooling down. The company relaxed and carried on, the horses fresh and their paces good.

They might even make it to the celebration.

Ichimaru's bay tossed its head. It was completely dark and the horse was blowing though it had yet to be spent. Rangiku's chestnut shook its leg in agitation as shady figures approached them.

The blonde's lips curled in mild distaste, demons.

Rukia drew her katana, one of the few possessions she had thought to carry with her. The lightweight sword hummed in her grip, the white ribbon trailing back like a kimono sleeve. The two elder vampires had not drawn their swords yet but kept a firm grip on the hilts.

"Gin, I'll take care of them go."

Gin sniggered,

"If ya so kindly insist." And he kicked the bay's sides.

The bay sprang forward like an arrow launched from a bow. At that moment the demons attacked and Matsumoto and Rukia began to weave past them onto higher ground. The bay literally swam through the demon ranks as Gin gleefully shredded the corrupt souls with the spirit of the third house. Ashes and snow covered the slushy forest ground. Gin looked up and smiled, Toushiro looked in fascination as the shadows were eradicated before his eyes.

"Ya should be able ta do that soon Shiro-_chan_." The silver haired man gazed down at him with glowing green eyes. Toushiro had never seen a mirror before in his life but he imagined what this felt like, staring into the hypnotic green arches. "Ya and I... ain't so different..."

Toushiro jerked on the bay's mane. The bay reared onto its hind legs, throwing Ichimaru off its back as the boy held on for dear life. Aizen's strike cut through the horse, beheading it and splitting its midsection in two. Toushiro choked as he was bathed in steaming blood. He fell forward, expecting the horse's supple neck to hold him back. There is no neck save a bleeding stub. The headless beast and the boy both crumpled onto the ground.

Aizen's eyes widened slightly as he took in the boy's blood stained white hair. The boy convulsed, the deep cut in his chest bubbling forth sticky blood as the horse behind him kicked out in a disembodied reflex. The boy's hand touched the blood and felt the deepness of the cut.

His teal eyes were dark, growing blacker by the minute.

Aizen barely dodged as Gin stabbed from the back.

The nonprescription glasses fell towards the ground, cut in two. Aizen looked wistfully at the broken spectacles before looking up cheerfully at the silver haired man, hazel-gold eyes as bright and sharp as ever.

"Looking for something Ichimaru? You cannot have what is not there."

"Neither can Aizen-_sama._ Ya should get outta here before the others come. Next time we meet, I ain't gonna go easy on ya."

The brunette shrugged helplessly, bowing mockingly and disappearing.

"Shiro-chan!" Rukia jumped off her horse and ran towards the boy on the ground. Rangiku quickly joined. She tilted his head each and everyway for any signs of breathing.

The boy was quiet; his only vital signs a slight gurgling noise as he breathed out noisily. His eyes were already glassy and strangely dark. The usual teal had grown darker and greener, almost like black emeralds. Rukia got out her katana and sliced her wrist

"Come on damn you, drink!"

A few droplets scattered across his bluish lips. His tongue flickered out reluctantly recognizing the salty taste. Encouraged, the girl slit her wrist a little wider offering more blood. The boy's tongue trembled as it lapped at the stream of blood being poured down his throat. As soon as the action begin it ended, the white haired heir seemingly exhausted from his efforts.

Rukia hissed in frustration and hacked at her wrist further when Matsumoto's hand stopped her.

"He can't drink anymore, at least not enough to keep him alive."

"So we're just going to give up?" Rukia snarled angrily, "we're just going to let him die out here?"

Matsumoto shook her head and pulled at her top.

"Of course not." She flashed the dark haired girl an airy smile, "we'll just have to kick it up a notch." She winced as she held Haineko to her neck. Rukia's eyes widened,

"Matsumoto-san..."

"Don't worry Kuchiki-chan; I know _**exactly**_ what I'm doing."

Rukia hoped so and so did Rangiku. If this failed they would be failing their friend, but even if they succeeded... blood was a very complicated thing. The sheer potency of the liquid allowed it to carry memories and dreams of its bearer. Miyako, Rukia and Rangiku had done more than their share of feeding each other and being fed in the past ten years of their service in the tenth house. Some things were not meant to be told; some things hidden, at least until the green-eyed heir could be made to understand.

Ichimaru Gin knelt down beside them, a hand stopping Rangiku from slitting the side of her neck.

"Ya know that ain't gonna be enough Ran-chan."

"Gin?"

The silver haired lord drew Shinsou across his shoulders, the blood of the Hitsugaya clan still clinging on stickily to its bladed side. Dark blood flowed freely from the cut as he leaned over the prone form of the boy, florescent eyes taking in the details of the snowy lashes as they fluttered in recognition of his power.

"Come what may..." Gin snickered, "Let's see how ya like the blood of the third house."

* * *

-

-

* * *

**A.C.:** It kina looks like they're doing a ritual suicide up there doesn't it? Maybe they'll raise the dead next with that much blood... 

Bah, Matsumoto seems too motherly in this

M'kay. As you already may have guessed the shinigami are vampires and the hollows are, for the lack of a better word, demons. Except they're really not... really. The vampires in this story aren't really vampires. I guess the closest things you can compare them to would be hybrid vampires or day walkers. While blood makes up an essential part of their diet, the vampires that appear here can live on normal food for a length of a time.

Otherwise there would be no point in celebrations as it would be like, blood-sake and blood-mochi or something.

And only young ones burn to dust in the sun. As they get older they develop some immunity to it (or they discover the miracles of sun block) though it _can_ effect them if they're weak or drained.

I'll get to the demons later in the story. (...if at all...)

The house spirits are the only sentient swords at the moment though there are **some **exceptions to this rule. Otherwise, zanpakuto are fancy swords you can combine spells to and fight with.


	4. 4th Until Forever

**A.C.:** Err, more Ichimaru Gin than Hitsugaya Toushiro this time. Hope this explains his current status in this story.

**Disclaimer:** Now, if I'm still writing this, what does that tell you about its ownership?

**Pairings:** none as of now

**Warnings:** No clue, your definition of warnings largely differs from mine. Read and find out.

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**Feyla:** Well they're technically not vampires –makes a face- technically. They can eat garlic without killing themselves...? and as for Ichimaru well... he knows stuff ㄱx

**Shadow Fox777**: Ichigo has an important part later in the story so you'll see him sometime in the next few chapters. Thanks for the suggestions :)

**Angelic Lily: **eck yeah, I try to go through my chapters to weed it all out but it's difficult seeing as how I haven't had Language Arts classes in... one, two, three, four years? SAT doesn't count because really, this story would so get a zero on it (for being incomplete x.X)

**SilverWhiteDragon:** I don't think so. Yeah I got your PM but it had the same thing as the review so it was kinda like '...?' heh glad you like this fic so much. I'll see what I can do.

**Windlily:** '_What self-respecting fanfic /doesn't/ have Hitsu-torture_?'

A nice one...?

Where Hitsugaya grows up to have ten hot-bishie-children like him?

I like Ichimaru so I wanted to cast him as a good guy for once. I'm not sure how long that can last u.u I can only ensure lots of 'pain' for Toushiro in the future xD

**Phppsmss: **will do ㅅㅅ

* * *

-

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* * *

Ichimaru Gin had been born on the dawn of an unknown date in an unknown year. He was the third son of the Ichimaru family with two additional sisters before him. He was born to a poor family, belonging not even close to the imperial court. His father had been angry at the prospects of feeding another child. Rapists and murderers were rampant in the parts the further one was located from the court. There were no willing blood donors, only food to be caught and prepared and the Ichimaru patriarch was feeling the blades come all too close of late. 

He was born at the break of dawn, when all mortal creatures great and small raised their head to look at the rising sun before going about their business. He was born when the crimson disk rose to banish the creatures of the night and cast light upon the room his mother had been, heavily in labor.

The golden glow had bleached his hair silver as he was first introduced into the world. His mother was said to have screamed like a banshee when she first saw him, pale haired and covered in blood. The only one who would welcome into their arms was his second sister. Even the herbalist-turned-midwife kept at bay, giving his mother bitter herbs to chew on as he examined the closed eyes to see that they were functioning correctly. Even at that age Gin's eyes had been perpetually closed in cheery half-circles, seeming to take in pleasure at the others' pain at his birth.

That never changed as he grew up into a young man. His pale green eyes were forever terrorizing his family members as he stalked about in the house. He was never to go outside to play because of his white hair and thus amused himself by pitting his siblings against one another. Meanwhile, his father did his best to feed his youngest, hoping that the boy would grow fast enough to be sold off at a young age.

To the patriarch, the pale hair was a permanent stigma upon his family and he was willing to take whatever measures necessary to rid of it.

There was only one person who could have changed him, his second sister. She had been married off as soon as she was able, earning his family status as she was married into a clan within the boundaries of court. They were able to purchase a small housing in the inner districts of the city but Gin could not help but feel the price had been too heavy to pay. She had been sold off as a concubine for the family's greed. It would have been a lie to say that she was a second wife for the title seemed surreal and too fantastic whenever he caught rare glimpses of her bruised face around the rukongai markets.

Her last words to him before she died in a tragic childbirth in broad daylight was this,

"_Run Gin, run while it ain' too late. Others' destiny may depend on ya but you; ya make yer own destiny. Never forget that."_

He knew too much. His family had been invited to her funeral, her face bare before the world. In her arms was a shriveled blue mummy, a daughter to be loved if she had lived. Her hair was white. Then Gin knew.

He ran away at the first chance, fighting tooth and nail to escape the hands of his brothers as he scaled the court walls. He had hidden under a wagon as his second and third brothers were interrogated by the guards. He hoped they were killed, he was sorry to have missed their execution.

During the time he lived as a thief in the court walls –his family really didn't expect him to stay put in his room did they?- he made friends with Matsumoto Rangiku, who was a half-Kira and half-nobody (according the sneering clan members). Many decades ago, her mother had eloped with a lowly vampire and gave birth to her and fled. Rangiku was brought up by her grand-aunt who was too old to heed warnings of bad blood within her walls. The buxom blonde had grown up into a feisty and charismatic woman since then, easily capturing him in a headlock before he escaped and made off with her purse. He had returned her purse after he had eaten his fill on takoyaki**(1)** and somehow became best friends with the strong but lonely girl, eventually getting adopted by her grand aunt.

It was around that time he had first taken notice of the two Kira brothers, both different as day and night. While Ichiro was stubborn and hotheaded, Izuru was prone to panic and was a worrier. Rangiku had introduced the two to him –Ichiro ogling his cousin's assets when they shook hands- and he took an immediate liking to Izuru for his pliability as a potential pawn.

Not to say he was completely cruel. He made sure no one abused his to-be-second-in-command. And while he made it as a captain, the same rank as Matsumoto Rangiku –_who had only joined the third house army to get away from the Kira head_- and Izuru –_Ichiro had decided to eliminate any possible rivalry from him by recommending him as a captain_-, he remained unsatisfied as a vassal to the Kira head.

When he learned that Ichiro had not yet acquired the spirit of the third house, Gin had decided to do his two friends a favor. He began to sabotage the message from clans within the third house walls. The Kira lord began to play favorites all on his own, gifting some with lavish titles while increasing payments across other parts of the third house grounds. With the various clans under the third's protection broken into factions, the house fell into disarray until he felt the eye of the third spirit leave and retreat into the small temple within the eastern boundaries.

Through careful planning and strings of astonishing coincidences, Gin hand managed to estrange Izuru from his older brother and set him to patrol the grounds at night. Rangiku was harder to win over and though she openly despised the house-lord-to-be, her loyalty was admirable and it nearly saved Kira Ichiro's life.

They were alone at the third's temple where Ichiro was praying over the stone deity to grant him his 'blood right'. Ichimaru had been carefully polishing Shinsou –a gift from Matsumoto's dying great-aunt when he became a captain- when the Kira lord spoke up.

"Are you going to kill me now Ichimaru Gin?"

"What makes ya think that Lord Kira?"

The dirty-blonde man had stood up then, pinning Gin with murky blue eyes. Ichimaru had stared back openly, his eyes stunningly bright and green contrary to the Kira head's previous thoughts.

"The third spirit does not belong to a mere _feeder_. I spared you because you were my wife's brother but no longer."

Tendrils of light were lifting from the temple. They reached out for Ichiro, wrapping him with miniature points of lights. The blonde lord grinned, fire alight in his eyes as his fingers stretched to form a suitable weapon in his hands. It had been the most amazing thing Gin had ever seen. The image of the third's spirit, a giant weasel with three tails, peered down at him with glowing eyes. An odd spear had formed in the other man's hand then, crackling with energy as he fed as much as he could into the blade to end Gin's life once and for all.

Gin had felt amused by the outcome. Amused and flattered that the Kira lord deemed him dangerous enough to perform an absolute exorcism upon his soul. The Kira lord enjoyed perhaps two, three minutes of power induced euphoria before it ended, cut short by his younger -_inferior_- sibling.

"Izuru... why?" the spirit waned in him, abandoning him without even lending a hand in healing. The third had never bonded with the blonde, only aroused itself out of annoyance and pity. It settled back into the temple awaiting the next caller to its name as the elder Kira's blood soaked the surrounding earth.

Izuru looked away, briefly locking eyes with a slightly surprised Ichimaru as Matsumoto sprinted up the hill onto the temple roof. Cat-like, she casually crossed her legs and watched the seen unfold, her gray eyes as mysterious and beautiful as the moon above them.

"The house will do as it wishes brother. I saw it reject you many times already. You have only succeeded this time due to that _curse_ Aizen-sama of the fifth house gifted you with on your last birthday. Nii-sama, you are no longer fit to be our leader." Izuru turned away, unwilling or unable to add more. He walked towards Rangiku and stood next to her as the buxom captain swung her legs, her voice cutting.

"And next time, don't lie to us either Gin."

"Aahh hiya Ran-chan." Ichimaru walked up to the moribund body, holding it up by the fistful of hair as Izuru looked away. Angling it so that the two others wouldn't see, he bit into the side of Ichiro's neck. The man gave a small shriek. "She was my sister ya know, the only person in my family I ever cared about..." biting experimentally, he determinedly lapped at the last of the man's blood before tossing him back on the ground. he had initially wanted the pain to last, but he knew Izuru's emotions were raw and that the blue-eyed blonde could go berserk at any moment with the stress of watching his brother die. So Gin made it as clean and quick as possible, draining the body beyond necessity as the man quivered before him.

He killed the older vampire and finally ascended to the head of the third house. The third spirit became his the moment the elder Kira's body became ashes and the memories meshed into his own. He had floated in a daze after the events, vaguely wondering if Izuru would take advantage of his weakened state of draining an already drained body. If the blonde took revenge now it would have been justified, he would have taken back the third spirit under the Kira name as well if only he had the courage to kill possibly the only other person in the third house since his parents' death to have been kind to him.

Izuru had never resented Gin for what he did that day and sometimes it made the older man wonder what might have happened if he had forgiven his family for the deeds that they had done to survive out in the shadow of the third house. He had never found any of them though he had never searched. He sincerely wished that he would never come across any of them and never had.

Perhaps never would.

-

-

"Ya and me ain't that differen' Shiro-chan. But I suppose bein' a feeder ain't bad compared ta goin' back. If 'Kuya lets ya live that is..."

"Why did you show me all this?"

In his mind his voice was no longer high-pitched and weak. It was steady, it was strong. He drew confidence from his own voice and dissipated the history of death and war wrought by Ichimaru's blood.

"Yer like me. Ya could make the people around ya great or ya could be one yerself."

The voice faded, casting an illusion of farewell upon the boy.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"'m just a memory Shiro-chan. 'can't go away... not even if ya want me to."

Somehow the words were more ominous than the prospect of death itself.

-

-

As soon as the blood trickled down his throat, Toushiro stopped, leaving Rukia thinking that he was dead. But when she saw his eyes, sedate but alive, and the blonde captain hurriedly wiping the blood off of the boy's stomach, she knew that he had been saved. Eager to help, she tore open the black kimono –much to Ichimaru's pleasure- and was about to bind his chest when Rangiku's hand stopped her.

The blonde's eyes were wide, the blue flecks swallowed entirely by cool grey. She opened her mouth and closed it several times as she followed the furrows and burns made by the length of the cut. Without looking away she asked sharply,

"Who attacked you Lord Ichimaru??"

The slash curled down from his right collarbone to his stomach where it curved just before the belly button. There was nothing particularly special about it unless you counted the fact that it was in the shape of a crescent moon waxing, if Rukia had recalled correctly. She saw no reason to worry –other than the possibility of Toushiro dying- and bound the wound, trusting his weak but vampiric immune system to take care of the rest.

Matsumoto was still tense as they saddled up on the surviving two horses, the chestnut and the gray, but kept silent as they continued their march to the thirteenth house.

A few hours later, Kuchiki Byakuya and his blood-sated company joined them.

-

-

"Shame Byakuya, spilling blood on this joyous day..."

"It had to be done, Hitsugaya clan is no more. They will no longer abuse their powers as the wielder of the tenth spirit."

"Is that so?" hissed Kurotsuchi Mayuri, the head of a mid-sized clan and an 'accomplished' alchemist. "And if some hidden bastard was to claim the title as the last surviving lord of the Hitsugaya clan, then what?" when Byakuya gave him a polite, inquiring look the man exploded, "the child! What about the child?!"

"Shut your trap Mayuri, if you're so worried about the kid killing you, you have another thing coming. I'll kill you first if you don't shut your yapping."

The alchemist gaped like a dying goldfish before turning away with a grunt. His daughter Nemu sought to placate him as he began to sulk and snip at the passing servants.

"Yay, Ken-chan! You're back!"

The pink-haired heiress of the eleventh house grinned and bounced around the large man's legs as he looked down fondly at her. Unohana entered the room, pushing the two aside as she and her apprentice set foot inside the door. Ichimaru followed soon after, bandages around his shoulders visible through the collar of his kimono.

Rukia stood up immediately,

"Unohana-sama, is he...?" a gentle smile touched the woman's face and she replied,

"He is not awake but you may go see him."

Before the last word was said, the young girl was out the door, leaving most of her elders to chuckle over her departure.

"Still..." head of the sixth house Aizen Sousuke frowned, "if the boy is indeed a Hitsugaya, he will not hesitate to take revenge on you Kuchiki-kun. And please don't lie to us saying that you are going to kill him. If you were you wouldn't have had Unohana-san waste her energy on healing him."

"You could make him a feeder." Remarked Mayuri suddenly perking up.

"Well there's an idea," said Kyouraku dryly evading his companion's grasps for the bottle of sake he was holding. "'Rescue' that child from an underground prison and put him back. Thought you promised Miyako, Kuchiki." A sudden gloom descended upon them all and the head of the eighth house nearly kicked himself for mentioning it out loud.

"I..." Byakuya started, "... have never promised her that." He gave Gin a pointed glare.

The silver haired man pouted,

"Saa... sure, blame ol' Ichimaru when somethin' goes wrong."

The door flew open and Zaraki Kenpachi held his young charge out of the way as a dark-haired girl barreled in exhausted from her run. She teetered on her two feet before Aizen swiftly went to her side and grabbed her shoulders. She gave the man a grateful look as she knelt down on one knee,

"Hinamori..." she gasped clutching her sides, "... Momo reporting..." She shuddered and steadied her breathing. "The tenth house has vanished completely."

"But that means..."

There was a cough. And everyone's head turned towards where the head of the first house sat, the head of the thirteenth house Ukitake Jyuushiro sitting by his side.

"It seems..." Aizen said slowly, looking to the eldest for confirmation. "...that the tenth spirit has already chosen."

Gin grinned.

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**A.C.:** I don't know what I just wrote. I just know that I have trouble spelling things and am currently trying to type every single word backwards for some reason. Eck. So sorry, no lengthy explanations this time, questions are welcome though and I will do my best to answer them all. 

**(1)-** Takoyaki are little bread balls with octopuses in them. They are brushed with a special sauce on top and are sprinkled with fish shavings and mayonnaise. Osaka is famous for them, thought it was appropriate.


	5. 5th The Wind Grows Cold

**A.C.:** hmm thank god FFN's up again, thought I was going craaaaaazzzyyyyy... And... I took the !)#$#( TOEFL this weekend... nearly got stranded in another province because I missed the train but hey, -crosses fingers and hopes that the score was good- I'm back... and writing... which is probably all that matters to all who watch this account... ehh...

-gets a headache-

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own it

**Warnings:** nothing in particular as of now.

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_A bleeding eye, stumbling, blinded, alone..._

The winter and fires setting the landscape alight.

Snowy white demons with a thousand eyes, the sickle-like curved of the crescent moon though he knew not what a sickle was.

The memories washed over him like a satin sleeve.

_A lake, laughter, a moon..._

A man he had never seen before but with the possibility and potential of meeting. Faces he had never seen before. Voices he had originally thought of as a dream. Jagged shadows and plains of water, a lotus pond that showed no reflections, the ink like sky speckled with hoary flecks. A man at the door, a sword in his chest, a jumble of words that made no sense and a name stuck to his own like a curse repeating '_Hitsugaya_' over and over again.

He stirred unsettled. His forehead creased before smoothing out. His delicate, snowy lashes fluttered almost as if he were dreaming.

He was no longer alone.

The ground beneath him was soft and he was unbearably warm. He felt the cooler compresses dotted his hairline, leave, then return with a spray of water that dispersed in the heat. The administrations stopped once his leg twitched with fatigue of his journey before. He felt sore all over, he had never felt anything quite like it before except for that one time...

He scrambled up to his knees, eyes shut tight to contain the miniature explosions of darkness behind the lids. There were surprised shouts of unfamiliar voices, two men and four women... no two men, three women and a boy. Still he screwed his eyelids down tighter against his burning cheeks, feeling the throb in his temples worsen with every contraction his heart made.

What was light to the one who spent a decade in the shadows of the tenth's basement?

He backed away, expecting to hit a wall before long. The others watched in complete silence. He never made it. He fell faint in Kuchiki Byakuya's arms as the night-haired lord entered the room.

-

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"Gin."

Matsumoto's voice greeted him challengingly as she stepped daintily out of the shadows accompanied by her fellow captain. She wrapped a curl of gold hair around a finger –like a shiny ring- tired from watching Toushiro sleep and remain asleep. Satisfied that the boy was alive for now but with no alternatives take her emotions out on she had turned to her favorite scratching post.

"Ahh Ran-chan, come ta see da fireworks?" he gestured to the sky above where showers of gold and white illuminated the air.

There was a slight choking noise and Gin's hand fell limply back to his knees. The silver haired man felt the fine hairs on his neck stand on end as the blonde's flinty glare. Izuru, obviously uncomfortable, stepped sideways away from Matsumoto and let the third house head sweat it out a while before rescuing him. Tactfully –as far away from Matsumoto as possible- Izuru spoke up,

"Whoever attacked you must have been strong my Ichimaru-dono. To have snuck up on you without you noticing, it must have been a credible foe."

Ichimaru rubbed his head, relieved and flattered that Izuru would take such pity on him. Matsumoto shot the other blonde a stinging look. She crossed her arms and tossed her hair haughtily.

"Indeed, since it was Aizen-sama who initiated the attack."

Kira gaped, hand instinctively flying towards the hilt of his katana. Kira had a history with the fifth house. He had once studied there under Aizen Sousuke's tutelage along with a select few. He could not believe that the kind-faced brunette of the fifth house would dare to attack a fellow head.

"Aizen-sama? But he's one of the few who thought of Lord Kuchiki in the right and he's been here all this time...? Hasn't he?"

Matsumoto's expression turned into that of a scorn as the bridge of her nose wrinkled slightly with the implication of her accusations. True she had not actually seen the man attack her best friend but the trademark crescent slash could have only come from the umber-eyed lord of the fifth house. Even if Kira had the man within sight for the most of the day, they could not completely rule out his role in the attempted assassination of the third's head.

"Kira you fool, you've trained with the man for half a decade. You of all people should know what he is capable of."

In an instant, the silver haired head of the third house was in front of her, his smile unnaturally wide. Gin wrapped his palm around his best friend's lips, gently caressing her flushed cheeks with a long finger before staring them both down with his pale green eyes.

"Nobody's ta know 'bout that. 'S far as we know, the fifth spirit blows bubbles in its free time. Ah didn' bother accusin' Aizen cuz there ain't nobody that's gonna believe my word over his. 'specially since he's got an alibi." He looked from Matsumoto to Kira and neither dared to contradict him. "...We dun need him as an enemy of da third house. Not when balance of da thirteen houses has so thoroughly been broken..."

-

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Kuchiki Rukia and Hinamori Momo whispered to each other as they quietly walked down the wooden flooring. The two were similar in age and presumably in interests. Though they had been separated between the thirteen houses for nearly a decade, they were quick in catching up and were soon striking up a light banter with each other as they turned corner of the lengthy hall.

Rukia stopped, shocked, when she stumbled against what seemed to be a soft wall.

"Aizen-sama." Hinamori gasped, immediately getting down on her knees. Though the dark-eyed girl had been chosen as one of the youngest to have risen to captaincy, it did not stop her from falling back on age-old habits of bowing as deeply as she could despite the head's protests.

"Good evening Aizen-sama." Rukia bowed deeply knowing her place. She was only here because of whatever promise her late sister had made with her brother-in-law --_and_ Miyako's death, she added to herself. Aizen laughed off the girls' greetings before helping a blushing Hinamori back onto her feet.

"More like morning I should say, may I walk you two beautiful ladies back to your rooms?" if anything, Hinamori's face reddened further at the rich timbre of her sire's voice.

"If Aizen-sama wishes to."

Nodding, Aizen reached over and linked his arm with his captain's. Hinamori squeaked and Aizen smiled down at her.

"I don't want to lose you my dear. My eyesight is so terrible that sometimes I even wonder if I am indeed a vampire."

"Oh you are!" Hinamori protested breathlessly. "You're the greatest vampire to ever grace the thirteen houses!" she then promptly ducked her head and blushed.

Rukia wondered if she should go on ahead and leave the two be. It was common knowledge within the thirteen houses that the captain of the fifth house was hopelessly enamored with her lord. It seemed that the only person who didn't know –or chose to ignore it- was the dark-eyed brunette himself. Personally, Rukia had betted five-hundred yen against Kurosaki Ichigo's one-thousand that the two would be a couple by summer. Ichigo had personally thought the dark-haired captain of being too much of a coward to confess. Rukia had beaten him up after the insult though some part of her agreed that her strawberry-blonde friend was right.

They continued in a comfortable silence until Aizen cleared his throat.

"I do believe," the brunette remarked softly. The flickering glow of the candlelight obscured his eyes under the thick glass. Rukia couldn't help but feel a cold shiver of apprehension from spiraling down her back. She slowed down, keeping the man in sight as she slipped behind Hinamori and followed as a servant would suddenly fearful that the man might just turn on them and attack. Hinamori gave her a quizzical look and a vapid smile. She turned back to her lord, attentive as always to his honey-like voice. "...that Ichimaru Gin is plotting something." Rukia saw that her fingers were trembling slightly at the ends. Her neck was covered with sheen of sweat and she thanked whatever deities that the candles were being extinguished with the approaching dawn.

"Why would you say that Aizen-sama?" Rukia fought to keep her voice steady though her legs had other ideas and were quivering like jelly under the cover of her kimono.

Hinamori frowned at her looking back but not noticing the unusual pallor of her face. Her disapproval was more from the fact that someone had dared to question her lord, but Rukia was a friend so she let her be. She stretched out her peach and cream hand to pull her forward by the wrist. Rukia nearly collapsed in relief as the doors to their lodging came within sight.

The Kuchiki girl wondered if the dark-eyed man could smell fear. She had heard of few, when aged and wise, able to scent out different emotions from a number of bodies. She knew for a fact that Zaraki Kenpachi of the eleventh house relished in the scent of fear his opponents excreted before their deaths. The brunette didn't seem to notice, or if he did, he simply did not care.

"Think Rukia-kun, Momo-kun." They stopped in front of the sliding doors, Hinamori drinking in every word from the man's lips as Rukia regained her shot nerves. "Ichimaru Gin has never revealed to us the identity of his attacker. What's to say that he did not do the deed himself?"

Hinamori nodded seemingly convinced. Rukia looked up at the man concentrating as if trying to read his eyes behind the thick glass. Like Momo, Rukia was more impressionable towards the brunette head harboring no lost love for the pale-haired head of the third house. Though the pale-haired man had always unnerved her with his words and mannerisms, she hadn't forgotten how he had saved Toushiro's life.

"But what does he have to gain by giving Shiro-chan his blood?"

Aizen looked down at her pityingly, as an adult might have done to a child when he or she could not grasp the fact of a larger world. Fear returned to the night-haired girl for with his piercing gaze through the opaque glass, she realized how pathetically small and insignificant she was standing next to someone as powerful as he.

"Because blood is a powerful thing Rukia-kun, blood bonds even stronger."

-

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"Oooh he's waking up."

"Yoruichi-sama, please, he might be dangerous."

"Psshhaww, such a cute kid like him?"

"Shh, quiet!"

Feminine voices wrapped him in a cocoon of warmth and protection. He protested, incoherent, as the wet cloth was removed from his forehead. He felt sluggish and tired, something entirely different from his lackadaisical restlessness from his eternal sentence within the belly of the tenth house.

His head was cradled in someone's lap for his makeshift pillows had never felt so high or as soft. A hand feathered his chin and he was tempted to bat it away. He rolled over, his eyes like slits as he let them adjust to the light. The room was brighter than anything he had ever seen before aside from the outing he had with his caretakers and his late mother. Candles of uneven lengths lined the shelves, only half of them were lit but it was enough for Toushiro to cringe and dig deeper into whoever's lap he was using.

'_Matsumoto,_' his mind supplied snidely and he was amazed to find the trace of the third's head in it. Then he remembered. He jerked his head off of the lap and snapped open his eyes. Various faces were staring at him, most women but few men watching in poorly feigned disinterest. They didn't know, they had no way to know. Green eyes swimming in panic, he managed to crawl over to the futon he should have been laying on when she struck.

Arms wrapped around like scaly constrictors around his chest and hauled him over to where she was, grinning evilly with an 'I'm going to get you' expression on her face. Knowing that resistance was futile, he held his breath.

He wasn't disappointed.

Familiar round blobs pressed against his face.

"Shiro-chan, you're awake!!"

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**Artemyl:** I think there are a few vampire!Bleach fanfics out there... I know I've read some... heh thanks 

**Angelic Lily:** I like Ichimaru, he's cute. And yeah, thanks for pointing out Kyouraku x..X he's supposed to be the eight division or rather the eight house. But... division numbers won't exactly equal house numbers because... I have no idea how I'd work in Komamura Sajin. Now there's a guy who really needs love xD

**Altersuperego:** thanx x3

**SilverWhiteDragon:** oh yeah, of course Hyourinmaru will go to Toushiro. But he won't be using it any time soon –grins evilly- or at least, not in the way you'd expect him to.

**Pasasword69:** thanks

**Phppsms:** updated :)

**Shadow Fox777:** Yeah Aizen is the bad guy (as of now) and Momo is more or less following him. The reason why nobody jumped at his throat was that Rukia and Rangiku (though Rangiku recognizes the attack pattern) never saw the attacker clearly. And as Gin pointed out above, who would you most likely to believe? Gin or Aizen?

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**A.C.:** yay explanation time... 

There are... I guess two major kinds of vampires. Those two kinds can be split up into different groups but we'll get to that later (hopefully).

The first kind is like the regular kind that goes out at night, sucks blood and all that good stuff. This group includes the hybrids, nobles, and basically any vampire that is not in the latter group. They usually have no immunity to sunlight when they are first born. They only gain defense or partial resistance to it as they get older. In the case of Captain Yamamoto, the sun wouldn't bother him at all. They make up most of the vampire population.

The second kind is the one that 'donates' blood to the first. They are born with partial to complete immunity to the sun and are shunned by most. What sets them apart from the first group is that they always have pale hair. They are normally addressed by the derogatory term 'feeder' (intended for the humans that vampires keep around as dinner) and are usually sold off at a young age to a different family to serve as a regular supply of blood. They have an innate ability to suppress the memories in their blood when they offer it to others and thus make it safe for others to feed off of their blood. Feeders make up less than 5 percent of the vampire population.

The traits listed above are not hereditary. The feeders can be born within the normal vampire group and the normal vampires can be born within the first. The deciding factor is the time of the birth. The later in the day you are born, the whiter your hair is. Those born at dawn or sunset are more likely to blend in with the first as they have darker hair than those born at noon.

There are no defining differences between the first and the second other than the color of their hair, ability to transfer memories through blood, and the time of their birth. One can equally be strong as the other.

Exception to the day and night rule is the Hitsugaya clan. They are born naturally with white hair but it doesn't mean that they are feeders.

Another exception would be Ukitake Jyuushiro and I assume all of you know why.

And I think that's it...

The differences will be clarified within the story but if you have any questions, feel free to ask and I'll try to answer in a non-spoiler-ish way.


	6. 6th Winter Nears

**A.C.: **happy birthday me -grins-

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own it

**Warnings:** nothing in particular as of now.

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**SilverWhiteDragon:** Thanks. As for Momo, I'm trying to write her in a less naïve way. Think I'm failing -winces-

**Phppsmss:** we'll get to Hitsu x others interaction soon ㅆㅆ stay tuned-

**Shadow Fox777:** You're right... huh, I didn't notice that before.

**2stupid:** ahh -blush-

**mooneasterbunny:** thanks

**kingleby:** I wonder how nice!Gin will last though -twitch-

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Toushiro squirmed in Matsumoto's embrace having never gotten used to it even though he had been subjected to her bone-crunching hugs more than several times in the past. He slumped against her, breathing in the familiar smoke-and-lavender scent that sent the events of his last conscious days crashing down on his shoulders as a giant's hammer might upon the earth. He pressed his cheeks against the thin gold chain over her sternum listening to her steady heartbeat as she fussed over him and refused to relinquish him to the crowd of fawning females at their feet. 

Matsumoto was real.

More real than the blanket of fog that threatened to devour his mind.

The coolness of her cream skin and the shiny curls were more real than the spray of blood and the voices of too many whispering deadly secrets into his ear.

She was solid, not like his ghost mother and mocking relations that are now dead.

Not like his taunting not-brother whose blood tainted the earth of the tenth.

He threw his arms around her as she held him.

He was crying.

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The eleventh house's Kusajishi Yachiru was really an adorable creature, Urahara thought idly at the sight of the bobbing crown of bubblegum pink on Zaraki's shoulders. She would end up breaking a lot of hearts and -he added reproachfully stung with the end of the large man's glare- Zaraki would end up breaking many a legs before he found one worthy of the _eventual_ lady of the eleventh house.

He hid a grin behind his fan.

Yamamoto coughed and went on reciting a passage older than time –would that make it older than the old man?- itself. The birthday boy, Ukitake Jyuushiro, was happily inhibited past the point his doctor and nurse had thought possible. To tell the truth they all were slightly tipsy, but only so they wouldn't have to suffer through the boredom of another turning-of-the-year-speech.

Kyouraku Shunsui was discreetly attempting to steal a sip from his bottle of sake.

Through the corner of his eyes Urahara saw the head of the second house, Shihouin Yoruichi, fidgeting uncomfortably in her seat. He had to agree though, the recitals were so boring.

Throwing Ukitake –who, with the help of his best friend had been plastered to the point he was now throwing up bubbles instead of blood- an envious look, Urahara sighed and gently fanned himself. After a few sentences of 'prosperity and health' Urahara gave up trying to pay attention and looked for something interesting to stare at.

Yamamoto was definitely out of the question, Yoruichi would scratch his eyes out in irritation if her cute captain –Soi Fon- did not do it for her first, Ichimaru Gin was smiling again and Urahara really had no desire to get in another who-smiles-creepier competition. Unohana was carefully dividing her attention between him and Isshin –throwing the former a warning glare- all the while _listening_ to what the old man had to say. Head of the fifth house, Aizen Sousuke, was smiling somewhat mysteriously, tossing a wistful glance at the wall every once in a while.

'Probably wishing for that little captain of his to come and rescue him.' Urahara thought, his gaze lingering just a moment longer on the head of the fifth house. He thought it would be an interesting experiment to see if he could exactly replicate the effects of light on glass that made the holder of the fifth spirit look so dangerous. Eyebrows furrowing in slight concentration, the blonde decided that the wrinkles didn't do for him and moved on.

Kuchiki Byakuya was being the same old august self, sitting calmly with his eyes closed –'how much to say that he's actually sleeping?' Kyouraku had said once- as a model example of what a house head should be. Isshin's head was nodding steadily, each dip pulling the stubbly chin towards his chest till he jerked up in alarm and saw that it was not another attacking demon but the head of the first house. Urahara was tempted to snigger quietly behind his fan when the man's jaw became slack in stupor. They all had ongoing bets –even sweet Retsu- on how long it would take for Isshin to fall asleep this time. The gray-eyed head of the twelfth house had specifically assisted the seventh house head in the art of staying up late into the afternoon with a shogi board. Fanning himself for a job well done, he continued down the ranks as Isshin's head jerked up once more.

Shunsui was still drinking but the blonde thought that he spied a lone bottle behind the eight's knees. The man was loosing his touch –at this, Urahara shook his head- and Tousen was solemn as always, eerily beautiful cream and white eyes hidden behind the orange-tinted visor. And... –His mind dawdled with an odd touch of finality- the empty space between the head of the ninth and the eleventh house.

Yamamoto barked out a loud '_faith_' --Isshin returned to the realm of wakefulness at this.

The late tenth house head Hitsugaya Kurou, death by Senbonzakura when Byakuya had gathered up men to eradicate the whole of Hitsugaya clan from the thirteen houses. No survivors had been reported save one as the entire structure had collapsed upon itself after Kuchiki lord's departure. Hinamori Momo of the fifth house reported it, others had confirmed it. This meant that the tenth spirit would have been forcefully removed from the territory around the same time as Byakuya had left.

Suspect was the sole survivor of the clans within the former tenth house, Hitsugaya Toushiro. Who, currently happened to be recovering in the east wing surrounded by an entourage of beautiful women. Urahara knew for a fact that he wasn't the only one jealous of the fey-like child. But he wondered if the surviving Hitsugaya was indeed the next wielder of the tenth. Even now there were whispers among their people that it was not the fault of the spirit but of the night-haired lord that the tenth house had been completely erased from the map.

Why did the house collapse? Toushiro had left the grounds willingly.

Why was Hinamori sent to the tenth house? While there were a number of plausible explanations for that though none were particularly satisfying. She could have been sent as a messenger for all he knew but it was an errand below those who were ranked as a captain when there were fleeter of their kin to go around. She could have also been sent as last minute reinforcement but there was no hard logic behind the theory. A captain's place was by her lord, a head of the houses of thirteen.

She had been sent when the message came that the head of third and the sixth houses would be late while the tenth would be unable to attend. She had arrived at the tenth house in time to see it fall with all its inhabitants trapped inside. She had run back as fast as she could but what had she seen and what had she missed?

Tsking slightly under his breath he moved from Zaraki Kenpachi, who was holding Yachiru down, to himself and Ukitake, who was still blissfully ignorant of Yamamoto's monotonous speech. Urahara snapped his fan shut and narrowed his eyes. Something was wrong here, something so subtle and intangible that no one was willing to admit its existence yet.

'What's going on now?' he goaded mentally and he was surprised to see the answer unfold before him so swiftly.

'We're afraid.'

-

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The thirteenth house had a barrier to keep out the elements. With the head in a precarious state of health, such measures were necessary. So while the outside was preparing for the next snowstorm to hit, inside was a perpetual spring that would never end as long as Ukitake Jyuushiro remained the thirteenth's master.

Toushiro knew spring. He had often smelled the thawing earth from his prison at the basement of the tenth house. Sometimes, a fragile seed or a shriveled petal floated down from the small barred window where the water would overflow and dampen the stone floor where he would lay. He had often held the offerings from the outside world close to his heart, creased between the folds of his worn yukata until they faded away into dust.

Come spring would beget the melting of the snow and the ruin of winter. Come spring would visit the tantalizing caress of death and he would be bound in throes of sickness desperately trying to remember the scent of spring borne within the fabric.

He knew spring but didn't quite know what it looked like while trapped in the darkness of his cell. The only times he had been outside the shady room was upon his birth, through dreams, and the afternoon of his mother's death. The first one he had no recollection of, the second was surreal as the mind that had crafted it, and the third was still winter in its glory. To him, the unseen spring was of his rebirth, breaking down after the long winter and revitalizing over the months of summer and recover by the end of fall. The cycle would rinse and repeat but the fact remained that his seasons always ended with spring.

He knew spring and yet he did not. Now he was staring at it for the first time.

The air was warm, the earth was warm and everything was laid bare before the moon. He was ill but not the usual sickness that plagued him during spring. He experimentally dangled a foot over the soft earth and pressed down upon it. His toes sank immediately –like snow, he reflected- and he immediately retracted his leg and silently contemplated the inviting earth.

He looked around discreetly, wondering if anyone was staring at him. He had half-hoped that someone would notice his silent plight and walk over to help. Sadly, no one was watching him close enough to notice the expression of puzzlement that spread across his face.

Deciding that the ground wouldn't suddenly swallow him up, he tentatively parted from the smooth wooden panels of the veranda and got to his feet on the soft earth. It was almost dishearteningly unexciting. Ignoring the twinges of pain that shot through his all too-thin legs at his sudden ambulation, he dragged himself further away from all the others, his hands grappling the porch tightly as he proceeded.

"Need help?" said a lofty voice. Rukia was sitting on the fence bars, a light but provocative expression on her face as she grinned down at her wayward friend. There was another behind her, leaning over her head. A familiar face but for all the wrong reasons. Toushiro blinked, slightly surprised. Rukia hopped down from her perch and gathered his hands in hers.

"Come on, you'll never get anywhere if you stay like that." And in a soft undertone she added, "Let's get out of here." The young man followed as they went around the house. As soon as the lights of the paper lanterns dimmed within the shadows, Rukia let out an exaggerated sigh of relief and let go of Toushiro's hand after giving it a quick squeeze.

Noticing that the ground was not as quite muddy as it had been before, Toushiro carefully lifted his foot in curiosity before setting it down when he almost fell backwards. The orange-haired young man gave a quiet chuckle in amusement. Toushiro glared noticing that in the shadows with only a black kimono on, the only thing that could be seen were the flare-like hair and mirthful hazel orbs. The hazel shifted to a shade of dark yellow and Toushiro did a double take. In less than a second, the yellow turned back to its original color leaving the white-haired boy to wonder if he had imagined it all.

"Who..." Toushiro coughed, feeling as if his throat was blocked. "Are you?"

"Eh? Sorry, I'm Kurosaki Ichigo of the seventh house."

Toushiro frowned then stated blatantly,

"So you're the idiot who destroyed...?"

Immediately, Rukia's hands leapt to the boy's mouth as Ichigo froze as if he had been struck by something. He turned stiffly towards the giggling girl who was trying to smother her laughter at the back of Toushiro's neck when he stuck a finger out at her.

"You swore to me that you'd never tell anyone!!"

In a whirlwind of movement, Toushiro found himself struggling along to Rukia's quick pace. The young man –Kurosaki Ichigo- was following them with mock fury printed all across his face. When the green-eyed boy stumbled, Rukia turned, claiming sanctuary in the bushes bordering the path.

Toushiro shied when they went out onto the grass, unaccustomed to the spongy softness beneath his feet. The pale-haired boy immediately crouched down on all fours as if the ground would suddenly move and leave him flailing on his back. Ichigo stopped, almost tripping over the said child as he jumped over him and nearly landed on the young Kuchiki.

"Watch it," the dark haired teen hissed as she saved her hand from the fate of being trampled by Ichigo's feet.

"Sorry," muttered Ichigo, all plans for revenge forgotten. Instead he craned his head left and right to get a good look at the boy in front of him. The soft flames from the Chinese lanterns set the green eyes alight turning them into a shade of green almost as familiar to Rukia as it was to him. Toushiro looked at the sky above them seemingly stunned at the clear view of heavenly bodies up in space. "Is there... something wrong with him... err..." Toushiro turned his lantern-like teal eyes towards the two. Rukia got up and knelt down by his side.

"You ok Shiro-chan?" she asked quietly as to not let Ichigo overhear.

Toushiro nodded slowly.

"The ground is..." his throat stuck and he coughed to clear it. "Soft." Rukia's hand reached down and brushed the green blades before plucking one and holding it up between them.

"Grass," she pronounced. "This is grass. You're not there anymore Shiro-chan." Toushiro blinked, his hand slowly rising to meet her own. "You're free." She breathed pulling him close and resting her chin on his head. "We're free."

"Free," Toushiro repeated and let his hand fall.

And they sat there beneath the moonlight, the strawberry-blonde Ichigo watching over them both as the night slowly began to wane.

"Free."

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**A.C.:** this chapter was weird, hopefully the next one will have more action in it. 


	7. 7th Sent

**A.C.: **Wow it has been a looooong time. I wasn't planning to update but this happened to be sitting there... written... all by its lonesome so... I hope it was worth the wait?

**Disclaimer:** I do not, never have and never will own Bleach

**Warnings:** nothing in particular as of now.

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**Shadow Fox777**- o.o hobbits... I tend to be fickle? ...Which really does not explain anything anyways? xD

**phppsmss**- sorry no action here;; kinda slow going, just kinda -grins-

**kingleby**- thanks for the review-

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She had lied.

She had lied to him when she said that he was free. Only now, in her brother's rooms watching the flames lick the scented wax of a violet-hued candle stick, did she see the fallacy of the situation. An elaborate illusion created by her mind to give her a sense of peace against the turmoil of politics and lies to pit one house against another.

The door slid open to admit one wildly tattooed man with red hair. He looked grim as he knelt down by Rukia's side. Dawn had broken over the horizon a long time ago but the room was dark. The servants had fled into the darker recess of the thirteenth house and the ancient instincts screamed at her, to all of rest, to do the same. Only the majestic presence of her lord brother and the ridicule she would suffer (even if it was only in jest) under her redhead friend's gaze kept her grounded on the floor. She poured tea for the both of them and kept her cup empty to the last.

Finding the silence unbearable the redhead began to speak. He started with what the scouts had reported, clans within the broken house found dead. Stragglers within the woods patterned with burn marks. He calmly stepped over the difficulty in requiring much of the supplies for the winter solstice celebration as well as the upcoming New Years. He thanked whatever deities that were listening that Lord Ukitake's health was holding and mentioned in a brief passing that Sentarou and Kiyone should stop beating around the bush and marry each other.

Rukia had to admire her usually hotheaded friend for tact. He had learned within the ten years she had not been by his side. It was strange to see him so reserved, but she thought it was appropriate and kept silent until the end.

"And sir, there is a rumor going around regarding Hitsugaya Toushiro."

Rukia almost dropped her cup in surprise. Byakuya raised an elegant eyebrow before setting his cup down on the table.

"Oh?"

"Yessir..." Renji fidgeted under his lord's cold gaze. "They say that the kid's... unmarked."

Byakuya turned his solemn gaze to his adopted sister, a frown marring his otherwise flawless features.

"Has Miyako never touched him?"

"He was forbidden from her from his birth. It was to keep him a secret from Masuyo-sama, the first lady of the tenth house. She saw him once a year on his birthday. One day before the Dongzi celebration."

"Like a fairy tale." She blinked and slowly nodded in agreement. Yes, that's what it had been. A fairy tale, for both the mother and the son who had no other life they could claim. She bit her lips as he continued. "Why was she not able to mark him? It is tradition for at least one of the parents to mark their child as their own." Byakuya gave her a grim smile, "Even if he is not a Shiba." She bit down harder though she was afraid that the two men in the room would pick up the coppery scent. At once the Kuchiki lord's expression softened and with a slight tilt of his head, urged her to go on.

"She said she did it to protect us. She said that he would know if she left a mark, I am not quite sure what she meant by that. No one knew about Toushiro's existence save a select few and the old man who guarded the door. The midwives who had attended the birthing were killed, Kuro-sama saw to them himself."

Renji started slightly,

"But why keep him alive for so long?"

"He is a feeder." Byakuya cut in, "he would have been a valuable asset to the tenth house clans. But I am somewhat surprised that Hitsugaya Kuro did not kill him..." the end of his lips curled briefly at the thought. He shook his head as if remembering something and waved one hand languidly at them. "You two are dismissed."

The two, one redhead and one dark-haired, bowed to their chosen lord and left the room. Kuchiki Byakuya sat there for a long time, even as the few human and hybrid servants used the daylight hours to clean the thirteenth house. He slowly blew his breath between his teeth and left, disappearing into the shadowed abyss of the thirteenth house.

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Toushiro did not dream. Feeders never dreamed, blessed by the sun, they were denied the reprieve by the moon. Doomed to walk their days forever without dreaming, they had developed another way of entertaining themselves in the realm of sleep. To put it simply, they remembered.

"_My child... my beautiful, pitiful child..."_

"_Haha-ue..."_

"_Please forgive this foolish mother of yours..."_

Toushiro woke up but did not struggle to get up. He saw that the gray walls of his memories had been replaced by bamboo panels. He raised a hand and brought it to his forehead. Stumbling, he groped his way across the smooth expanse of the forehead when he reached the center, right above where the bridge of his nose tapered into the skull and where the fine points of his two eye brows separated. The spot was soft and slightly tingling. When he touched it, he felt warmth slowly rewind itself throughout his body.

It was morning; somewhat surprised Toushiro sat up and came face to face with eleventh house's lady-to-be, Kusanagi Yachiru. Toushiro stifled a shout of surprise. The girl however, had no such qualms and squealed out her delight as a possible playmate opened his eyes. She (once she was done making sure that he would not fall back asleep again) clamp her coral-painted hands around her mouth when she heard the scurrying feet of a servant outside. Giggly but quiet, her glowing pink eyes remained mischievous as she tugged at his hands and ordered him to follow.

He tried to hastily get to his feet when he saw the girl's hand grapple his wrist tightly and began to drag him towards the shaded windows. But his legs were weak with his recent excursions and had not sufficiently recovered. He was dumped unceremoniously over the now open window when the pink-haired heiress had decided that he was not moving fast enough for her tastes.

He flailed and landed on his back. He bit down hard on his lips as to not scream. Spreading his palms across the cool earth, he slowly opened his eyes to a breathtaking sunrise. The rosy fingers of dawn passed over his face, warm and comforting. For a moment his eyes took on amber and rustic shades as he stood up to get a better view.

Yachiru, displeased that she had lost her playmate's attention so easily, snuck behind him and pulled him back into the shadows when he raised a hand to marvel at the display of colors reflected upon his moony skin. With a wag of her finger she prevented him from going back out into the glowing twilight and led him towards a small window on the parallel wall. She boosted him up into the room, possessing extraordinary strength for someone seemingly so young. Slamming the heavy windows shut she gave a cute curtsy and said perkily,

"Kusajishi Yachiru of the Eleventh house, nice to meetcha!"

Toushiro blinked. He hadn't been hallucinating when he thought that her hair was pink after all. Parting his mouth slightly before closing it, he lowered his head into a bow, deeper than the curtsy she had given him. He kneeled and folded his hands over his knees.

"Hitsugaya Toushiro, yoroshiku."

He was surprised when he raised his head back up to find a pair of cat-like pink eyes. Yachiru peered into his face and Toushiro looked away, suddenly feeling self-conscious as a tiny fist tugged at the lock of white hair over his left eye.

"Your hair's so white..." Yachiru whispered in awe. Then she backed off, the pitter-patter of her feet against the tatami floor as she threw herself against the line of headless plushy and dolls. She dragged a wooden table in front of him before setting down a cracked but obviously well-loved tea set. She poured in a cup of water into the pot and two table spoons of sugar before pouring it back out into the cup and pushing it towards the subdued child. "You don't look dangerous."

Toushiro regarded the cup silently while circling the rim with a thin finger. Seeing the pink-haired heiress drink, he mimicked the move and nearly spat out the contents as the sugary concoction overloaded his taste buds. But with the girl smiling so cheerfully at him he couldn't help but smile back. It was nice in a way, it reminded him of before. Brief seconds in his life that he was allowed to brush up against the soft-edged happiness and pleasure.

He smiled bitterly knowing that he would never again experience the simplicity of joy. Already he had begun to grasp, knowledge was a painful thing. He could be normal, he could be 'great', but he would be used by others on creating someone else great.

Yachiru poured him more 'tea' when he had emptied his cup. She filled his silence with her unceasing chatter and bombarded him with questions that she had never expected him to answer. But for politeness' sake he nodded and agreed every once in a while to show that while it was a rather one-sided conversation, he was there and he was listening.

"Yachiru!" Kenpachi Zaraki had arrived with a hoard of other eleventh house members behind him. Though his voice was more irritated than afraid for his charge, he had a rustic katana out and was swinging it restlessly as an effeminate man coaxed the girl into his awaiting arms.

"Aww Ken-chan, I just wanted to play with Shirou!"

"You can't just play with prisoners of war!" Zaraki looked like he had a headache while a group of three went ahead and secured the white-haired child. Toushiro looked calm, almost as if he had expected it and did not protest to the manhandling he was subjected to as a burly man wearing sunglasses tossed him over his shoulders.

"But you let me play with them back home!" Yachiru protested as she blew a raspberry at her guardian from her perch in Yumichika's arms.

"Ya usually don't serve them tea! That's why!"

There was a sudden rumbling sound. The door burst open to admit two new faces into the room. Yumichika and the others were able to get out of the way but Zaraki was flattened beneath the oriental doors as the dynamic duo of the thirteenth house made their entry.

"What's going on here?!"

"Lord Ukitake cannot sleep because of this racket."

"He is ill, he needs his rest!"

"Why the hell do you keep following me?!"

"Me follow you! Hah! You're following me!"

"Copycat!"

"Liar!"

"ENOUGH!"

The two stared wide-eyed as the murderous looking captain of the eleventh house made himself known beneath them. With a growl of frustration, Zaraki stood up and threw the two captains off his back. At first he had thought to do the world a favor by getting rid of them. But then he remembered that the two were so hopelessly devoted to each other that any insult, save those from each other, they took personally and the only thing worse than the two arguing was when they were working together.

Using the one eyed captain's dilemma as a distraction, Yachiru jumped on Iba's head, freed Toushiro from the said man's arms and jumped out the window with the boy in tow. Panicking, Yumichika stuck his head out the window.

"Wait, Kusajishi-chan, it's still light out!"

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"Kusajishi-san... you should go back in. They seemed worried about you and it is unwise for you to be seen with me..." but the bubblegum haired girl wasn't paying least bit of attention as she blew furiously onto her fisted hands. Rashes had broken out over her skin, enveloping her wrists and fading at her arms. Desperate for relief the girl licked at her scarlet digits while Toushiro sat next to her, head twisted and staring askew at the sunlit grounds.

They hid beneath the thirteenth house as various foreign voices called out for the lady-to-be of the eleventh house and the last surviving member of the tenth house. Every once in a while the bare feet of a human servant scurried by under daylight as most of the eleventh house could not participate in their search. Zaraki Kenpachi swaggered up and down the yard bellowing out the heiress' name.

Yachiru giggled under her breath. Both jumped when a hand started searching for them beneath the house. As if deciding something important, Yachiru put on a determined face uncovered a small hole in the wood above them. Toushiro's eyes widened slightly when the girl began to push him upwards into the hole even as a hand caught a hold of her ankles and began to pull her out from beneath the thirteenth house. With a last burst of strength, both children climbed up the whole in the flooring and burst through the gold-woven tatami mats. An amused chuckled captured their attention as men and women alike voice their dismay outside.

And that was how he first met the sickly lord of the thirteenth house.


End file.
